om behind her pupils, pressing against the surface. She flinched at every sound. Her hands trembled. And she hadn't said a word since the mirror shattered. "Anna," Luke whispered, kneeling besi

will be paid." Luke swung the poker through the air-straight through the fog. The figure vanished. But laughter echoed all around them. Not just one voice now. Dozens. They slammed the door and locked every bolt. "We can't stay here," Anna said. "We're not safe anymore." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "We weren't safe when we got here. The curse... it doesn't want to die. It wants to keep going." Anna opened the journal again, flipping to the final pages. There was an entry dated just days before their grandmother died. "I can't hold them off much longer. The mirror's power is failing. They've started knocking at midnight again. Just like before. The bloodline is thinning. If Anna comes back-God help her. She has no idea what she carries." Anna's voice trembled. "She meant me." Luke's jaw tightened. "You think Grandma put something inside you? Some part of this curse?" Anna didn't answer. She turned the next page. A torn-out section had been taped back in. Sloppily. Desperately. And on it: a map. Of the house. But beneath the house-tunnels. Hidden chambers. One marked only with the word: Sanctum. Luke pointed. "That's where we go." Anna hesitated. "You sure that's wise? Every time we follow a lead in this house, something worse happens." "It's worse if we wait. We need to end this. Or at least understand it." Together, they followed the map through the house, down a hallway behind the kitchen-where faded wallpaper peeled to reveal a hidden door. A small keyhole gleamed in the dim light. Anna reac